Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

brENDON

I stare at Carter's empty chair, utterly confused as to what just happened. I noticed my best friend starting to space out half-way through his second piece of pizza but when he completely went off into la-la land I started to get concerned. It's not like Carter to daydream when we're having dinner together, and I was a little nervous that maybe something serious was happening. Thankfully it wasn't anything bad, but I'm still baffled as to what is going on.

Most of me wants to respect Carter's need for space but there is also a small part of me that wants to force him to talk to me. What the hell is he keeping to himself that is causing him to act so off? Did something bad happen to him this summer?

My thoughts start to take me down a dark path and I shudder at the possibility that my best friend was hurt in an unimaginable way.

"I'm sorry for being weird," Carter murmurs when he comes back to our small dining area that we use for both eating and studying.

"You know you can tell me anything, and I would never judge you," I reassure him. He nods slowly but keeps his gaze on the table.

"I know that, but something happened this summer, and I don't know how to tell you," he whispers while fiddling with his thumbs.

A lump forms in my throat as my fear feels like it's becoming a reality.

"No matter what happened I'll always be here. Nothing will stop me from being your best friend."

"I met someone," he tells me and finally lifts his eyes toward mine. "They completely turned my world upside down, and I can't stop thinking about them."

I stare at him intently trying to figure out if he was hurt or if he just had a summer fling and he's still hung up on this girl.

"In a good way or a bad way?" I question, needing to put my mind at ease.

"Good way," he assures me and the knot in my stomach instantly releases.

"So, you're acting like a weirdo because of a summer fling?" I double check.

"Kind of, I guess," he mumbles, and I can't help but laugh.

"Dude, that isn't a big deal at all. Are you like in love with this chick or something?"

He shakes his head. "No, it was just a summer fling. Neither of us was looking for something long term. We both knew it was only going to be for the couple of months that I was in Florida. Besides, I'm not ready for a real relationship anyway. But I wasn't with a girl this summer. I was with a man…"

It takes a moment for his words to register with me, but it leaves me even more confused as to why he didn't tell me this sooner. Does he think I'm homophobic or something?

"So, let me get this straight. You've been acting like a completely different person all day because you had a summer fling with a guy?" I ask and he nods slowly. "You know I don't care who you sleep with."

Carter blows out a breath and slumps into his chair a little. "I know that deep down, but it just felt like a big deal. Like for as long as you've known me you've always thought I was straight and now I'm not. I wasn't sure how you would take it."

"Dude, you know I don't give two shits about stuff like that. Love is love and lust is lust. All I care about is that you're happy. Did this guy make you happy this summer?"

I might be straight, but I totally don't care that my best friend is coming out to me. I'm just happy he's happy.

The tips of Carter's ears turn a deep shade of red and he nods as a dopey smile spreads across his lips. "Really fucking happy," he mumbles, and I laugh.

"Then we're good. Now stop acting like a fucking crazy person and be my best friend again," I scold him with a wide grin so he knows I'm not actually angry at him.

"It's really that simple for you, isn't it?" he asks me, and I nod.

"Does that surprise you?" I counter.

He shakes his head and shrugs. "Actually, no. I should have known that you would be just like me and not freak out. I thought I was a little weird at first when I didn't panic over being with a guy, but it felt right, so I figured, what's the point in freaking out? I guess being bi actually makes more sense to me than being straight, but honestly, the label doesn't really matter to me either."

"Okay, now that you realize that I'm not going to judge you or act weird, let's move into the living room so you can tell me about this guy," I tell him, standing up and heading to the sofa.

Carter chuckles as he follows behind me.

"What do you want to know?" he asks as he gets comfortable on the recliner.

"Anything and everything. By that stupid grin on your face earlier, you clearly had a good time, and I want to know if this guy is going to turn into something special at some point."

"His name is Henley," Carter starts. "And he was my grandma's neighbor. He owns his own business and is a cool guy. He took me out for drinks my first weekend there and opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not as straight as I thought. I guess I just assumed that I was straight because I had never been with a guy, but after he explained that sexuality is a spectrum and not all black and white, everything just started to make sense. He offered to help me explore anything I wanted, and we had a great summer together. At first, I felt bad because I knew he was a romantic deep down, but he assured me that he knew better than to get his heart involved. So, we had a summer fling, and the rest is kind of history."

"Your summer sounds so much cooler than mine," I murmur, making my best friend laugh.

"Oh, come on. From all the texts you were sending me, it sounded like you had a blast. And what was that surprise you wanted to show me?"

An excited energy courses through my veins, and I practically jump up and race to my bedroom, grabbing the stash my cousin gave to me.

"Cancel anything you have planned for this weekend and don't add anything new to your calendar," I tell him, holding up the baggie of premium weed. "We're getting lit my friend."

Carter starts cackling and almost falls out of his chair as his laughter takes over his body. "How come I am not surprised at all that your big surprise is a bag of pot," he tells me with glassy eyes.

"It's not just any pot," I argue. "It's high-quality weed from my cousin's company."

He snorts a little and nods while wiping away the few tears that have started to fall. "Of course it is. Well, good thing I don't have plans for this weekend. You can count me in for a good time."

I lift my fist and cheer. "Fuck yeah!"

I'm beyond excited to have a fantastic weekend with my best friend. Thankfully, the awkwardness is behind us, and we can move as we always do.